


When Hunters Become the Hunted

by KittyoftheNight



Category: The Walking Dead (TV)
Genre: Adventure, F/M, Romance
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2014-12-26
Updated: 2014-12-26
Packaged: 2018-03-03 17:23:20
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 3
Words: 11,986
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/2858894
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/KittyoftheNight/pseuds/KittyoftheNight
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Sometimes, life throws you a curve ball. For some, it comes earlier than others. For Celeste, this was a whole new addition. Having already come so far over the years, she's now left with her neighbor's little girl, attempting to survive and fend for herself. Ironically though, fate has a funny way of trying to fix things as human survival hits an all time high. Will she have the courage to stand or will she fall like so many before her? Daryl/OC</p>
            </blockquote>





	1. Celeste

**When Hunters Become the Hunted**

**Chapter 1**

**Celeste**

     You never know when things will suddenly go downhill. You never know when you might be facing your worst nightmare.

     Celeste found all of this out very quickly when she’d stepped outside her door, her next door neighbor standing there with this dead look in his eyes. It wasn’t Kyle anymore, his eyes coated over with a foggy film, mouth hanging freely with teeth bared. It wasn’t the same guy that she’d been living next to for the last two and a half years that she’d been paying rent. No, this was different.

* * *

 

     “Damn it!” she hissed, smacking her hand against the steering wheel as the car slowly came to a stop.

     She heard crying. Turning, she saw tears running down little Kenzie’s face, the five year olds lip beginning to quiver.

     “I’m sorry sweetie,” Celeste cooed, patting Kenzie’s head as she tried to calm her down. “I didn’t mean to upset you.”

     For the last five miles, Celeste’s car had been running on fumes. The movement had finally come to an end. Originally, she’d hoped that she’d be able to get to an off ramp or something for gas. Sadly, that was asking too much of her precious car.

     “I can’t believe this!” she groaned, pulling at her hair as Kenzie continued to wail.

     Taking a deep breath, Celeste let go of her hair. She tried to relax herself in an attempt to calm the child down, quickly getting out of the car and looking around.

     “There’s gotta be a way outta here,” she told herself, eyes trailing over the surrounding area.

     Right now, it was far too hot out to be walking around on the road with a five year old. Distance was an issue, the heat of the Georgian sun beating down on upon her head as she stood there. The only good thing was that her sunglasses were protecting her eyes, the thin frames keeping the lenses in place.

     “Should have filled up at the last station,” she told herself, scolding the bit of common sense that hadn’t pulled her into the last gas station that she’d come across.

     Turning back to the car, Celeste crawled back inside. She was out of options at this point.

     “Kenzie, sweetie, we need to go,” Celeste told her, gently wiping the tears from her face. “Do you think you can walk for a bit?” she asked.

     “Where are we going?” Kenzie whimpered, rubbing at her face with her hands.

     Her nose scrunched up as she rubbed at the skin, irritating it.

     “I’m not sure sweetie,” Celeste admitted, rubbing the back of her neck.

     “Why do we have to go?” Kenzie cried, not wanting to leave the safety that the car gave them.

     “Because we can’t stay here,” Celeste explained. “There’s no more gas and it’s too dangerous for us on the road.”

     Kenzie let out another whimper as Celeste began to go through their things, consolidating what she could. She made sure to keep what water they had together in her large canteen, pouring what remained in the water bottles into it.

     After giving Kenzie a drink, Celeste climbed into the backseat snatching up the pack of beef jerky that had been tossed behind the seat earlier that day. She made sure to put it in her pack, double checking the food that they had left.

     All together, she had a couple cans of food, some jerky, chips, and half a dozen granola bars. That was about it. She also had a random container of oatmeal in her trunk with no way to fix it.

     Looking through her pack, Celeste let out a sigh. She wished that she had taken the time to pack a bit better, a couple bottles of painkillers staring her in the face. It was a measly bottle of Tylenol and Advil, simple over the counter drugs that she occasionally had to rely on for headaches and pain. There was even a random pack of cigarettes in there from the last time that her friend had used her backpack for a trip. Why she’d left them in there, Celeste had no clue.

     Other than food, there were also a pair of clothes that had been thrown in haphazardly. She even had a couple of shirts in her trunk that she’d been meaning to pull out for about a month, but she didn’t really care. After all, she hadn’t really had much time to grab anything, so she just snatched up the first thing she could.

     “Grab your pack and lets go,” Celeste said, strapping her own onto her back while climbing out.

     She heard Kenzie’s door shut as she popped the trunk, stuffing the oatmeal in her bag and grabbing the compound bow that had been left in her trunk. She’d always felt better keeping it there when she’d been at home, but now, the trunk no longer served a purpose in keeping it safe.

     “Ready…” Kenzie murmured, coming to stand beside Celeste as the trunk was clamped shut, keys being tossed into Celeste’s pocket.

     “Let’s go sweetie.”

* * *

 

     Out in the woods, two men walked down a beaten path, both dawning their weapon of choice. They were hunting down and killing what they called Walkers; the undead.

     The youngest of the two stood, his position poised and ready to strike as he spotted a walker a few yards out.

     “Come on, take the shot, chicken shit,” his brother prodded, making other man’s face twitch slightly in annoyance.

     “Shut up,” he muttered, closing one eye as he aimed at the back of the walker’s head.

     A second later, the creature was on the ground, an arrow through it’s brain.

* * *

      Celeste let out a sigh as she trudged forward. She was beyond tired at this point, the heat of the sun baking away at her skin. She swore, she’d end up with heat stroke if she didn’t find a safe place for them to rest.

“    There’s gotta be some place that we can hold up for a bit,” she ventured, looking around at the trees. “That is if I don’t get lost first,” she muttered.

     They’d been walking for at least two hours now, her legs beginning to wobble from fatigue. The lack of sleep wasn’t helping matters either, merely dragging her down further as she seemed to go in a circle, Kenzie trailing beside her with her thumb in her mouth.

     Suddenly, she heard the sound of a twig snapping. She snapped her head to the left. There was a faint groan, accompanied by a gurgling. Her eyes went wide as she dropped her bag on the ground, pulling her compound from her shoulder. With nimble fingers, Celeste slid the arrow into place, eyes trained on the spot as the leaves rustled. Within moments, one of those parasites came into her view and her eyes narrowed through the sights of the bow. Without hesitation, her arrow sprung forward, sailing through the air and into the thing’s head.

     Again, Kenzie began crying, clinging to Celeste’s leg as she sobbed. There was nothing Celeste could do to prevent it, slowly leaning down and pulling the girl into her arms.

     “It’s alright,” Celeste whispered, trying to assure her that everything was okay.

     With a shaky breath, Celeste bowed her head. She closed her eyes for a moment, before looking toward the motionless body. She’d lost count on how many she’d come across, how many she’d killed. No matter how many she got rid of, it seemed like there would always be another to take its place.

     Celeste turned back toward the brush when she heard a grunt. Quickly, she picked her bow back up, drawing an arrow back against the bowstring. The moment she saw the top of the things head, she let it loose, watching as it shot through the air.

     “Shit!”

     Celeste’s eyes went wide with shock. Those gnawing parasites didn’t talk.

     “The hell?” came the gruff voice a second time, their voice angry and annoyed.

     Hesitantly, Celeste pulled out another arrow. She notched it, holding it in place. If this person was a threat, then she wanted to be prepared. She wasn’t willing to put Kenzie in harms way.

     “State your business,” she ordered, watching as the man came forward, a look of irritation on his face. “I said state your business,” she repeated, pulling her arrow back, ready to fire.

     The man had her arrow in his hand, a cross bow slung over his shoulder. There was a scowl on his face as he looked at her, his eyes boring into hers. They flicked down toward the kid for a moment, before landing on Celeste again. It didn’t last long though.

     Before she could do anything, Celeste was grabbed from behind, the arrow shooting out and into the bark of a tree. Kenzie screamed, falling backwards and huddling against a tree.

     Celeste squirmed in the intruder’s grip, fear overriding her senses as she lashed out, bringing her elbow back into their ribs. Celeste brought her foot up next. She kicked it into the man’s leg, before turning around enough in order to hit him in the nuts. He was quickly sent to the ground in pain.

     “Lively lit’le thing, ain’t ya,” he chuckled, moving toward her as she laid on her back, her heart pounding away in her chest.

     Without thinking, she kicked him in the face, rolling over and getting back onto her feet as she made her way to Kenzie. She was surprised though when she heard the other one chuckle. Celeste turned to find him standing there, a smirk on his face, his arms folded over his chest.

     “Shut it lil’ bro’her,” the other growled out, quickly standing back up as he got his bearings.

     He turned his eyes back to Celeste after that, a smirk slowly pulling at his lips.

     “Feisty an’ perdy,” he grinned. “Why don’ ya come wit’ ol’ Merle and we’ll ‘ave us some fun?” he asked, grinning at her.

     “Go to hell!” she hissed, quickly pulling a knife from her pocket and flipping it open.

     She kept a hand on Kenzie the entire time, keeping her behind her and out of view.

     “Why don’t ya just cut the shit Merle,” his brother scoffed, uncrossing his arms and picking up Celeste’s compound bow. “Little girl’s gonna attract walkers all ‘round,” he narrowed, gesturing toward the little girl wailing behind Celeste.

     He was getting annoyed with his brother’s comments and the fact that he had no shame. Sadly, Merle had always been like that and it wasn’t going to change any time soon. That didn’t mean that he had to be stupid though. Unfortunately, that’s how he got when he was high.

     “Little shit,” Merle muttered, taking a step toward his brother.

     Celeste watched as Merle stood there, glaring at his brother. For a moment, it looked like Merle was going to hit him, the younger man looking like he might flinch.

     “Pansy ass,” Merle said, spitting on the ground beside his brother. “Why don’ ya put that knife away bef’re ya ‘urt yer self?” Merle suggested as he turned back toward Celeste, giving her a look over, before staring at her chest. “And shut that kid up while yer at it.”

     He licked his lips for a moment, wetting them as he shifted his weight to the other foot, taking in the sight of her body.

     “Back off!” she told him, her hand shaking as she stood there, her heart still pounding in her ears.

     She kept the knife in front of her, the adrenaline pumping through her veins. It gave her the energy that she didn’t have.

     “Jus’ calm down already,” the younger one groaned in annoyance. “The lot of ya.”

     “Kenzie, sweetie, you need to calm down now,” Celeste said quietly, trying to coax her into submission.

     Celeste’s eyes shot toward Merle’s brother for a moment, eyeing him as he examined her bow, pulling at the bowstring a couple times as he tested it.

     “That’s mine,” she growled out.

     “Yeah? So? What’cha gonna go ‘bout it?” he asked defiantly.

     Celeste felt her hand shake again, her breathing uneven as Kenzie continued to cling to her.

     “I want Daddy!” Kenzie sobbed, crying into the material of Celeste’s pants leg.

     “God, would you shut ‘er up?” he hissed in annoyance, keeping an eye on things around them.

     “I don’t want any trouble,” she told them.

     “Yeah, well ya should of thought about that when ya shot at me!” he snapped lightly, placing the arrow that he was holding in its respectful place and drawing it back.

     He admired it for a moment, before reducing the tension on it and letting it go slack.

     “Ya know, that there’s a nice bow,” Merle added, a smug look on his face as he snatched the bow away from his brother. “Sure is a nice piece fer someone like you,” he chuckled, eyeing Celeste as he tested the bow for himself, drawing the string back with ease. “Might even be a betta shot than you Daryl,” he laughed.

     Daryl glared at him, his lip twitching slightly. He didn’t like being taunted about his skills as a marksman. Especially, since he could easily shoot Merle in the ass for it. Granted, his brother would beat the living shit out of him if he ever tried such a thing.

     “Just give it back and I’ll be on my way,” Celeste said, taking a shaky breath.

     Merle picked up on this, eyes flitting back toward her, before a smirk formed on his face.

     “’ow long ya been on yer own?” he inquired, taking a slow step toward her.

     “My whole life,” she reply. “So that means I know how to handle trash like you,” she growled.

     “Oh, ho, ho!” Merle howled, slapping his knee. “She’s a sweet talker too lil’ brother,” he grinned, taking another step toward Celeste.

     “G-get back!” she yelled.

     “She obviously doesn’t need yer help Merle, so leave her be,” Daryl said, crouching down and examining a set of tracks on the ground, his fingertips brushing over them lightly.

     Unfortunately, they were a couple days old, so the deer that left them was long gone. They’d come up with a dead end on some decent food this time around.

     “Why don’ ya shut tha’ mouth o’ yers lil’ brother?” Merle suggested, glancing at Daryl for a moment before turning back to face Celeste.

     He managed to back her up against a tree, easily knocking her foot out from under her with his boot. It was probably one of the easiest things he’d ever done.

     “Now, why don’ we get rid o’ this?” Merle suggested, grabbing hold of Celeste’s hand and prying the knife from her grip.

     Once he’d managed to do that, he let go, sitting there crouched down in front of her so that he was more at eye level with her.

     “Why don’ we start over? Name’s Merle,” he said, introducing himself. “Lit’le shit there’s Daryl,” he grinned, pointing back to his brother. “What’s yers?”

     “C-Celeste,” she swallowed, her hands beginning to shake as the adrenaline started to fade, her arms wrapped tightly around Kenzie who was now sniffling into the front of her shirt.

     “An’ how long ya been runnin’ from those ugly mothers?” he asked, placing a hand on the bark of the tree beside her head.

     “Two weeks,” she replied, not understanding why he was drilling her with questions.

     “Tough lil’ thing ain’t ya?” he snorted, before taking a piece of her hair between his fingers and playing with it. “Gots us a camp a few miles out. Why don’ ya come wit’ us?” he asked.

     “Why would I wanna go with you? I don’t even know you,” Celeste scowled.

     “Gots others there. Women, children. Think you’d fit in perdy good there with tha’ kid o’ yers,” he told her. “Sides, tha’ prick of a cop’s been harpin’ on us ta bring back survivors,” he added with distaste.

     “Prick of a cop?” Celeste questioned softly, brows furrowing together as she looked up at him.

     “He don’ take too kindly ta us Dixons,” Merle informed her.

     “I wonder why,” she said sarcastically.

     Celeste sat there for a moment longer, thinking things over. If there were truly others out there, she’d have a better chance of surviving. She wouldn’t have to keep watching her own back and maybe, just maybe, she could finally get some sleep.

     “You said…you’ve got other women…and children?” she asked slowly, looking up at Merle.

     It was silent for a moment as they stared at each other, Celeste taking in the blue of his eyes, and the lines on his forehead.

     “Plen’y,” he replied. “Although, if yer a comin’, I suggest ya get yer ass up,” he smirked, pushing up off of the ground and walking over to his brother.

     Without a second thought, Merle tossed Celeste’s bow to Daryl and quickly scooped up her bag, swinging it over his shoulder.

     “Well, ya’ll comin’ or wha’?” Merle asked, glancing over his shoulder, before walking off.

* * *

     “C-can you…slow up?” Celeste called out, trudging forward as her feet scrapped the ground.

     She was carrying Kenzie on her hip as she went, nearly tripping as her foot caught part of a root. She barely managed to catch herself, righting her foot at the last second. The last thing that she wanted to do was drop Kenzie.

     “Careful,” Daryl grumbled, glancing over his shoulder at the two.

     “It’s jus’ up ahead,” Merle scoffed lightly as he pushed forward through the brush.

     This was something that he and Daryl were used to. Celeste on the other hand, she wasn’t. Yes, she had endurance. The problem was, with everything she’d been through she was on the verge of collapse, her body barely able to drag itself forward enough to catch up with the two men. It was falling apart, her mind clouding over, and her senses going numb with the ache of her muscles.

     Celeste barely heard anything as she stepped into the clearing with them, the sound of arguing flooding her ears as Merle began throwing racist remarks around at other campers. It left mothers covering the ears of their children, glares set upon their faces. It also left Kenzie sliding down onto her feet, gripping at Celeste’s leg, gripping hold of her as she buried her face in the material of her jeans.

     “Who’s this?” someone asked, coming forward to stand in front of the small group of four, the shine of gold that adorned the man’s neck hitting Celeste’s cheek as it met the light.

     “This ‘ere’s Celeste,” Merle announced, hitching his thumb behind him, pride filling his voice. “Perdy lit’le thing ain’t she?” he chuckled.

     “Daryl…?” Celeste murmured as she reached out to touch the younger man’s arm, her other hand touching her face as her eyes closed.

     “Huh?” Daryl asked.

     He turned around only find her falling, legs giving out beneath her weight. Quickly, he leapt forward, catching her. Her breath came out in shallow bursts against the skin of his arm, an unfamiliar feeling flooding over him.

     “Shit!” he hissed. “Well, don’t just stand there. Do somethin’!” Daryl snapped, glaring at everyone that stood there staring, his arms pulling Celeste up a bit more as her body fell against him.

     It didn’t take long before Kenzie started crying again, crying to Celeste to wake up. She didn’t like being by herself with people that she didn’t know. Mommy had always said to stay away from strangers.

     “The hell’d you do to her?” the ex cop asked, his tone filled with accusations.

     “I didn’ do nothin’ asshole!” Daryl growled out, eyes narrowed in disgust.

     “Lori!” the man called, causing Kenzie to flinch.

     A thin woman with long brown hair quickly made her way toward the group, her jeans hugging her hips as she ran forward.

     “Shane, what’s wrong?” she asked, quickly making her way in front of them.

     That’s when her eyes landed on Celeste, a hand coming up to cover her mouth.

     “Oh, God, what happened?” Lori asked, quickly stepping between Shane and Merle.

     She reached her hand out without hesitation, placing it on the younger woman’s face.

     “The hell’s it look like lady!? She pasted out!” Daryl sneered.

     Why was everyone around him an idiot? They always asked stupid questions, just like they were now, either blaming him and his brother or something else that was completely and utterly useless.

     “Watch your mouth!” Shane hissed, glaring daggers at Daryl.

     “And why should I?” Daryl snapped, his brother watching on in amusement.

     “I’ll beat the shit outta ya, that’s why,” Shane narrowed.

     “Shane, stop it!” Lori yelled, touching Celeste’s forehead, the heat from it rolling off and soaking into Lori’s hand. “She’s burning up.”

     Turning around, Lori looked around, searching for the help she needed. Sadly, she knew that she couldn’t rely on Shane to be level headed enough to help at the moment.

     “Jaque, Carol, I need your help,” Lori called, before turning to Daryl. “She hasn’t been bit has she?”

     “No’ tha’ I could tell,” Merle piped up, answering for his brother before Daryl even got a chance to speak. “Wouldn’ mind lookin’ ‘er over for ya though,” he grinned.

     “Now’s not the time for you to be joking around Merle,” Lori warned him, placing a couple of fingers against the underside of Celeste’s jaw to feel for the girl’s pulse.

     “Who said I’s jokin’?” he grinned, his eyes trailing over Celeste’s body.

     “Are you high again?” Shane asked, grabbing Merle by the front of his shirt.

     “Would it make a differ’nce if I was?” he grinned.

     “If you two are gonna fight, go somewhere else,” Lori said bluntly, Jaque and Carol making their way to her side.

Lori finally found it, the vein throbbing lightly against the pressure of her fingertips.

“What do ya need, honey?” Jaque asked, Carol standing quietly by her side, her hands clamped together.

“Cool water from the quarry and a rag. We need to bring her temperature done,” Lori told them, gently brushing Celeste’s bangs from her forehead.

“I’ll get the water, honey,” Jaque nodded, quickly scooping a bucket up and heading down to the quarry to fill it with water.

* * *

     Kenzie sat off in a corner, her eyes red and puffy as she sucked on her thumb. She had hold of her blanket in the other hand, her little pink backpack sitting on the dusty ground at her feet.

Kenzie didn’t remember ever being this scared before, her eyes looking around at the others in the camp. Most of them were just ignoring her, going about their own routines. She caught sight of one of the men that had found them. Daryl. That was his name. He was seated outside his tent cleaning his crossbow, a scowl on his face.

Getting up, Kenzie slowly made her way toward him, stopping once she was about a foot in front of him.

“What do ya want?” he asked, looking up from what he was doing.

Kenzie didn’t say anything though as she stood there, her thumb in her mouth as she clutched at her blanket. She was curious about what it was that Daryl was cleaning, her eyes crossing over the length of it. It was different from Celeste’s, that was for sure.

“Look, I’m a give ya three options kid,” Daryl told her, trying to hold his tongue. “Either tell me what ya want, sit down, or go away,” he said bluntly.

With a faint whimper, Kenzie sat down on the ground, biting her lower lip. She wasn’t used to people like Daryl, but currently, he was really the only one that she knew. Even though Shane was a cop, she didn’t like Shane. She didn’t like the way that he yelled because it scared her or even the feeling of his presence which seemed off for some reason or another.

“Shouldn’t you be off wit’ yer ma?” Daryl asked, wiping the cloth in his hand along the back of his crossbow.

He looked through the sights for a moment, brushing his thumb against the bit of glass as he wiped it clean. He then glanced over at Kenzie for a moment, taking in her silence for a short moment.

“Celeste’s not my mommy…” Kenzie whispered, playing with the corner of her blanket. “Mommy’s gone… So is Daddy.”

Daryl stopped what he was doing, his brows furrowing as he looked down at the child beside him. He hadn’t even noticed how small she was, her shoulders hunch as she let out a sniffle. If Daryl had to guess, she couldn’t be more than six at the oldest, probably younger.

“No sense in cryin’,” he told her, placing a hand on top of her head with a sigh.

He never did like crying much. He especially didn’t like it when women and children cried. In fact, it gave him a headache most times because it was so incessant.

“Hm?”

Kenzie looked up at him through the curtain of her bangs, giving him a curious look. His hand only stayed on the top of her head for a few minutes longer, sliding back down to his side to work on his bow.

“I said, there’s no sense in cryin’. Ain’t gonna change nothin’,” he told her, his words coming out slightly harsher than he’d intended them to. “And if ya start cryin’, I’m a send ya on yer way.”

Kenzie suddenly became quiet at his words, quickly sucking up her sniffles and tears. She didn’t want to have to leave. She didn’t want to be around all of those strangers.

Seeing her quiet down, Daryl glanced back at his bow, rubbing away the grime on the limbs. He’d never understand why it was he was talking to her, but he shook it off and continued talking anyway, not having anything else to do with his time save for cleaning his crossbow.

“What’s yer name kid?” Daryl asked.

“Kenzie,” she replied shyly, her voice bordering on timid.

“Ya got a last name?” he asked, eyeing her for a moment.

“Parish.”

Daryl sat there for a moment. He’d known a couple by the last name of Parish when he was a boy, but they were older and in their 40’s at the time. It wasn’t a very common last name though, that much he knew.

“Is Celeste going to be okay?” Kenzie asked suddenly, looking up at Daryl as they continued to sit there.

“Ain’t my area of expertise,” he told her, swiping at his nose with his thumb. “Why don’ ya go find out.”

There was a moment of silence between the two as Kenzie sat there. She looked up at Daryl, before looking around the camp, chewing on her thumbnail. She didn’t want to venture out on her own. She was never allowed to walk around outside on her own with a bunch of strangers. In fact, her mother would have had a fit and grounded her for a week.

Seeming to pick up on the issue, Daryl stood, stuffing his rag in the back of his pocket. This was why he didn’t like kids at times. They were too scared to do anything on their own.

“Come on,” he said in irritation.

Quickly, Kenzie shot up from her seat to follow Daryl, running up beside him and grabbing his hand.

Daryl nearly jumped out of his skin when Kenzie touched him, fighting the urge to push her away or reprimand her. He reminded himself that she was only a kid, swallowing the lump in his throat.

“Watch yer step,” he told her, pulling her up with him into the RV.

It was here that the group had placed the young woman, laying her out on one of the makeshift beds.

Currently, Carol was seated beside her, replacing the rag on her forehead. She had a bucket of water beside her, the contents chilled from the rocky bed of the quarry. It proved helpful in fighting against the fever, the pills that they’d found in her bag reducing it further.

“Daryl,” Carol greeted, nodding her head respectfully.

“The kid wanted ta check on ‘er,” he told her, pushing Kenzie toward the two women.

When he went to leave, Kenzie grabbed hold of his hand, her eyes pleading. She wanted him to stay and keep her company.

“Don’t go!” Kenzie cried, clutching Daryl’s hand tightly.

“Listen kid, I can’t stay with ya all day,” he told her, tugging his hand free.

He then made his way out of the RV without another word, disappearing from the girl’s sight.

* * *

Later that evening, Kenzie sat around the fire with Daryl and Merle, sitting comfortably on Merle’s lap. Even though the man was a bit strange, he was warm. His entire body radiated heat and it was comforting, nearly causing her to fall asleep as she curled against the large man’s body.

“I can’t believe that kid’s actually cuddling up to that guy,” one of the men said quietly, wrinkling their noses in disgust.

To them, Merle was nothing, but a piece of red necked trailer trash. They thought him, loud, obnoxious, crude, and disgusting. Nobody even really talked to him save for his brother Daryl, and even that was a stretch in the man’s mind. In fact, the only good thing about the Dixon brothers were their hunting skills, but that was about it.

“I think it’s time for the children to go to bed,” one of the mothers suggested, standing with her own children as she led them back to their tent.

“I think she’s right,” one of the men nodded, turning toward Kenzie.

The child merely set there, giving the man a quizzical look as she continued to sit on Merle’s lap, her back curled against the musculature of his daunting arm.

“Come on sweetie, you can stay with us,” he told her, standing up and reaching toward her.

In response, she backed away, curling against Merle further than she had been as her tiny hand began to clutch at the material of his shirt.

“Come on now, no sense sitting here with these dumb hicks,” he told her, grabbing lightly at her wrist in an attempt to pull her away from the Neanderthal that was Merle Dixon.

“I suggest ya back off, fruitcake,” Merle warned, grabbing hold of the man’s arm in a vice like grip.

The term dumb hick was one that Merle had heard used against him and his brother all his life. Just because they didn’t have the best schooling or upbringing, didn’t mean that they were stupid. In fact, Daryl was rather resourceful, his mind calculating and alert. He knew how to make his own arrows from scratch, gut a deer, set traps and such. Just give him his hunting knife and crossbow and he could live on his own in the woods for a month easily. Daryl was a man of many talents as was Merle and they knew how to survive.

“’sides, ya ain’t got no mo’ room,” Merle told him, before releasing his arm and tossing it aside.

“Like you do?” the man countered, narrowing his eyes at Merle.

“Actually,” Merle grinned, before gesturing toward his tent. “I got plen’y a room.”

“Oh, right, like that’s the _best_ place for a child,” the man sneered.

With a whimper, Kenzie slid off of Merle’s lap and out of his grasp, quickly running over and hiding behind Daryl. She’d grabbed hold of his hand immediately, gripping it tightly between the span of her own.

Looking down at the little girl behind him, Daryl swallowed. Regardless of how tightly she held to him, the callousness of his hand didn’t seem to bother her. In fact, for a moment, it seemed to comfort her, giving her a faint sense of safety as an image of her father popped into her head. He too had calloused hands, the length of which were far larger than her own.

“Come on,” Daryl said roughly, getting up from his spot on the log, the muscles in his legs aching.

He then tugged lightly at the girl’s hand, a silent order to follow him. In his opinion, there wasn’t much point sitting there if all it was going to do was get him a headache. Instead, per the child’s request for safety, Daryl led her to the quiet sanctuary of his tent.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hi everyone! I want to thank you for reading my story. I already have a lot of stuff posted on Fanfiction.net and decided I would try hear as suggested by a friend. I have the same user name on both sights, so if you see anything different, then it just means that I've updated the content is all. So, please, let me know what you think of my stuff? I'd really enjoy hearing your feedback on anything. Especially, any ideas that you may have!


	2. With the Dawn of Morning

**When Hunters Become the Hunted**

**Chapter 2**

**With the Dawn of Morning**

 

     Birds chirped within the camp as morning came, the low pop of the fire outside sounding faintly from what was left of it.

     Inside the RV, specks of light floated through the curtained windows, sections falling upon Celeste’s face. It was still pale from the previous day, but a bit of color had burrowed its way to the top, lightly dusting her cheeks with a pink hue.

     “Mmm…”

     Slowly, Celeste opened her eyes, her fingers twitching at her side. Her vision was hazy as she laid there, eyes staring up at the ceiling.

     “Kenzie…?” she murmured.

     She turned her head to the side, looking out in front of her. There was no one there save for a wall. Her brows furrowed for a moment as she tried to take everything in. The last thing that she remembered was walking through the woods with Kenzie. They’d been following two men; brothers. Merle and what was his name? She remembered Merle’s because it wasn’t that common of a name. In fact, it’d been the first time that she’d ever met anyone named Merle. His brother’s name was a bit more common though, but she couldn’t quite remember what it was. It began with a D. Dave? Dan? Derrick? Dale?

     Celeste shook her head as she stood up, quickly regretting it as things started to spin. She grabbed hold of a side panel near her, clutching it tightly as she tried to steady herself.

* * *

     Daryl let out a sigh as he laid there on his cot. He merely stared up at the ceiling of his tent, the blue drowning all the other colors out for a short time.

“Daddy…”

Daryl tensed, eyes snapping toward the small child that laid not three feet away him.

Kenzie was curled up in a ball, her blanket wrapped tightly around her, and her thumb in her mouth. She was shaking ever so slightly, foot twitching beneath her.

Seeing this, Daryl let out another sigh, sitting up and grabbing a loose sheet from his bed. He dropped it on top of Kenzie, kicking it out a bit with his foot before stepping outside of the tent, his crossbow in hand. He wasn’t going to sit there the whole time with a child that kept whimpering for her daddy. He never once cried for his father and he didn’t want the thoughts or memories in his head this early in the morning.

* * *

     Celeste swallowed the lump in her throat as she took her first steps through the cab. She had no clue where her shoes were at the moment, but she really didn’t care that much, merely making her way toward the front.

Outside, she could hear as set of voices, quiet laughter filling her ears. Stepping out carefully, she found that the voices belonged to a couple of kids, little girl and boy. They looked to be around 12 or 13, but she couldn’t be sure. The little girl quickly ran off though, calling for her mother.

“Momma, Momma!” she called, running to the other side of the camp.

The boy merely stood there though, staring up at Celeste with curiosity in his eyes.

“Um…” Celeste tried, not really sure what to say.

Before she could get anything else out though, the little girl came running back, dragging a woman by her hand.

“See Momma?” she smiled, pointing at Celeste.

“Thank you, Sophia,” she smiled, patting the girl on the head affectionately.

She then turned her eyes to Celeste, looking her over for a moment.

“Why don’t we sit down dear?” she suggested.

She placed a hand on Celeste’s shoulder and gave it a small squeeze, her eyes smiling with a gentle gaze. It wasn’t until then that Celeste took in the woman’s form, noticing how frail she seemed. This woman in front of her was thin, her arms long and slim to match her legs. Her pale blue eyes shown in the light, reflecting the area around them. There was something else that Celeste noticed though, her eyes squinting slightly as they sat down. A bruise.

“How’d you get that?” Celeste asked quietly, pointing at her wrist.

“My name’s Carol,” she smiled, pretending as though she hadn’t heard Celeste’s question.

Perhaps it was better left alone for another time.

“C-Celeste,” she managed, her throat sore from misuse.

“Here, why don’t I get you a drink of water?” Carol suggested, quickly getting up and walking over to the RV that Celeste had come from.

Letting Carol walk off, Celeste took the time to look around her, taking everything in.

Celeste turned her head to the right. There were other people there, one woman airing out her clothes as she hung them up on a line of string. The woman in question gave her a small smile and a nod of the head before returning back to her work. There were several other tents out that way as well. Some were simple while some were a bit more elaborate, but she didn’t really care that much about the particular style of the tent or even their colors. No, she was mere curious for the moment, logging everything into the back of her mind for future references.

“Here you go honey.”

Celeste jumped with a start as a water bottle was placed in front of her by a hand. The in question belonged to Carol, an apologetic look on her face.

“Sorry…” she murmured, eyes cast down as she relinquished her hold on the bottle.

“No, it’s fine, Carol,” Celeste assured her, quickly procuring a smile for emphasis. “I just wasn’t paying attention.”

The young girl’s words were debatable in Carol’s mind, but she tried to ignore it, sitting down by her instead. Her husband didn’t need her at the moment, so she felt that she wasn’t doing anything wrong by sitting outside with the girl.

“How long have I been asleep?” Celeste asked suddenly, taking a sip of water and coughing a couple times.

“Only since the other day,” Carol explained, folding her hands in front of her.

“And Kenzie?” Celeste asked, looking up at Carol.

“Kenzie?” Carol asked, tilting her head to the side for a moment.

A look of realization dawned on her after a few moments, the pieces clicking into place before she met Celeste’s gaze.

“Oh, you mean the little girl you were with?” Carol asked, a knowing smile on her face. “Don’t worry, your little girl is safe and sound. Daryl’s been looking after her.”

“Daryl?” Celeste questioned, her brows furrowing together for a moment.

She then realized who she was talking about. She’d forgotten his name earlier, but after hearing it, she knew who it was. It was the younger of the two men that had come across them, the one that she accidentally shot at. She grimaced as she remembered it, feeling bad that she’d nearly killed him.

“Is something wrong?” Carol asked, seeing the look on Celeste’s face.

“N-no,” Celeste shook her head. “I know him, it’s just…”

She paused for a moment, scratching at the back of her head. She wasn’t sure if she wanted to admit to nearly hurting one of their group, afraid that it might get her into trouble.

“Never mind,” she sighed, dropping her hand down at her side. “Where are Daryl and his brother anyway?” Celeste asked curiously, looking around the campsite for a moment.

“Well, I think Merle left early this morning,” Carol told her, taking another moment to think. “The last time I saw Daryl though, I think he was down by the quarry.”

“The quarry?”

Again, the young girl’s brows furrowed together in a look of confusion. It was clear as day that she hadn’t any clue as to where they really were.

“Why don’t I show you?” Carol offered, getting up on her feet.

She couldn’t believe her eyes as Carol brought her over to the edge of the campsite. The view was just behind the RV, the rocky terrain of the quarry gleaming back at her in the morning light. In all her years, she’d never seen such a thing, and it’d been a long 25 years. This on the other hand was a first, the luster of the rocks drifting farther than she could ever hope to reach. There was even an array of water within the valley of the quarry that spanned maybe a quarter of a mile.

“It’s huge,” Celeste breathed out, taking a step forward.

“Careful!”

Carol’s hand shot out without hesitation, quickly grabbing hold of the girl’s arm and pulling her back. She didn’t want to see her go tumbling down the hill of the quarry and breaking her neck.

“S-Sorry,” Celeste stammered, taking a step back.

It wasn’t until after that though that she caught sight of someone down at the quarry. Their back was turned, so she couldn’t make out who it was. Although, from what she could tell, it was a man. The way that they stood told her that much, their shoulders pulled back, but slightly slouched.

“Who’s that?”

Carol had to squint her eyes for a moment as she looked down at the quarry. She cupped a hand over them even to block the light.

“Oh, that’s Daryl,” she smiled, before turning back to Celeste. “I can go get him for you if you’d like?”

“No!” Celeste said quickly.

Her eyes widened when Carol flinched, a frown forming on her face.

“I’m sorry,” she apologized, touching the woman’s arm tentatively. “I…I’d like to talk to him myself,” she told her. “To thank him.”

“I see,” Carol said quietly.

“Not that I don’t appreciate your kind gesture,” she assured her, giving her a small smile. “It’s just, I’d like to be able to talk to him in private for a few moments.”

Carol nodded her head in understanding, before turning around to the shouting of her name.

“Woman, get yer ass back here!”

Celeste turned her head toward the voice, her eyes narrowing slightly at the man’s tone. Just by that, she already didn’t like him.

“I’m sorry…” Carol whispered quietly, before making her way toward him, leaving Celeste to herself.

Celeste watched as the man grabbed Carol’s arm roughly, before shoving her toward a tint, his eyes glaring back at Celeste.

“Prick,” Celeste muttered, before turning toward the path that led down to the quarry.

* * *

     Sitting there in the sun, Daryl let out a breath of air, running a damp rag over his arm. It was stained with blood from skinning squirrels, his knife laid faithfully at his side. Despite being a man of the woods, he didn’t necessarily like having the blood all over his hands once everything was said and done. Not that it really bothered him that much, but he didn’t want the smell on him and the potential of an animal or walker getting wind of it. If they did, that could mean either he’d lose his catch or find himself face to face with one of those no good flesh eating bastards.

In the back of his head, Daryl could hear his brother calling him a pansy ass as he washed the blood off, joking that it made him sick. In all honesty though, Daryl was used to it by now. After all his years of hunting, he ought to be anyway.

“Damn stuff never comes off some times,” he muttered, scrubbing roughly at his hands.

The last thing he needed was that woman’s little girl freaking out when he went back up. He could practically see the looks on everyone’s face if he did, a look of annoyance pulling at his features. He hated those people because since the very first day they set up, they’d looked down on him and his brother. They thought that they were just a couple of inbred hicks. They thought that they were nothing. Nothing, but trailer trash.

“Daryl?”

Daryl narrowed his eyes at the voice, tossing his rag down at the water.

“The hell ya w-”

He stopped short as he turned around, his jaw going slack. It was the girl that they’d picked up the other day, her feet nearly sliding out underneath her as she tried to navigate down the trail in her bare feet.

“Get yer ass back to the RV and put some shoes on,” he shot out, eyes narrowed at the woman’s stupidity.

“I got your name right, didn’t I?” she asked, stumbling forward as she got closer.

“Yeah, ya got my name right, now scram,” he narrowed, going back to scrubbing at his hands.

“But I-Ah!” Celeste was cut off as her foot slipped, gravel flying everywhere.

“The hell’s yer problem? Ain’t ya got ears woman!” Daryl yelled, brushing himself off in irritation as he stood up, glaring at Celeste.

He stood still as he stood there, his glare slowly receding as he looked her over. She was just laying there on her back, eyes scrunched shut as she winced. The gravel had no doubt sliced into her skin, leaving red patches behind. Her dark hair was now dusted with a layer of dirt, her hands clutching the ground below her. Her blue green eyes caught his attention though, their gaze locking with one another.

* * *

     “Well?” he asked, snapping her out of her daze.

Celeste blinked as she laid there, the skin of her back pressing into the gravel painfully. She tried to sit up, but winced, looking down at her hands. They were all scuffed up now, the skin red and peeling. She was pulled up onto her feet with a grunt a moment later though, Daryl’s hand wrapped around her arm.

“Well, ya gonna say something or are ya just gonna stand here all day?” he asked in annoyance, his hand still clamped on her arm.

“I just wanted to talk to you,” she replied, flexing her fingers as she stood there.

“And why the hell would you wanna talk ta me?” he asked, eyeing her skeptically.

“To thank you,” she said quietly, looking up at him.

At that moment, Daryl let go of her arm, taking a step back. It was as if he were unsure of her words, as if they may possibly bite him.

“For the other day,” she elaborated, wringing her hands for a moment.

Again, she winced, fingers twitching. She then turned to the water, eyeing it before walking over to it and kneeling down, dragging her hands through the water. The chill itself was a welcomed relief to her, a small smile forming on her face.

“Look, I didn’t mean to bother you,” she told him, rubbing her fingers lightly, freeing it from the dirt. “I just thought that I’d thank you in person,” she explained, looking up at him as he continued to stare, a hard look on his face.

“Ain’t no reason to be thankin’ me,” he told her, reaching down and picking up his crossbow.

He slung it over his shoulder with ease, before picking up his bucket and knife, making his way up the path.

“Hey, wait!” Celeste called, quickly standing up and going after him.

She nearly tripped again as she went, making her way up the hill behind him at an uneasy pace.

“I wasn’t done talking yet,” she told him, trying to keep up as best she could against the rocky terrain, the rocks cutting into her feet.

“We ain’t got nothin’ to talk about,” he said simply, shouldering his crossbow a bit more as he kicked a rock out of the way with the toe of his boot.

“And that’s where you’re wrong,” she said, stepping over a few of the more pointed rocks in the ground.

“And how’s that?” Daryl scoffed, glancing over his shoulder for a moment as he climbed the top of the hill.

Deciding to take this opportunity before he could fully get out of sight, Celeste pushed herself forward, slowly making her way to the very top.

“I never got to apologize,” she told him, watching as he turned a bit, brows furrowed in confusion.

It was as if no one had ever apologized to him before, like it was the first time ever hearing it. Regardless though, Celeste felt the need to apologize to him. She’d always been like that though. If it were because of something that she’d done wrong, she’d always apologize because she knew that she was in the wrong, not the other person.

“What ya apologizin’ for?” Daryl asked, eyeing her uncomfortably as he stood there.

“For shooting at you the other day,” she answered. “I should have been paying better attention and because of that, I nearly shot you,” she explained, wringing her hands as she came forward.

“Listen, I-”

His words were stopped as a small cry broke out, the voice familiar to both of them at this point.

“Daryl!”

Suddenly, Kenzie ran forward, wrapping her little arms around Daryl’s leg. She had a smile on her little face, even though she had a bit of dirt on her nose, and crust in the corners of her eyes.

Celeste herself was at a loss for words as she stood there at the edge of the quarry, her eyes trained on Kenzie. The little girl looked so happy, her eyes a light as she hugged Daryl’s leg in her little arms. Celeste wasn’t sure the last time she’d seen her like that, a small smile pulling on her lips as she watched Daryl place his hand on top of Kenzie’s head.

“I think ya should be saying hi ta someone else,” he told her, ruffling her hair for a moment, before pushing her in Celeste’s direction.

“Hm?” Kenzie turned her head, her eyes going wide as she caught sight of Celeste. “Celeste!” she cried out, running forward and launching herself into the woman’s unsteady arms.

Sadly, that had been the wrong move, Celeste still standing in her bare feet on the slippery incline.

“Oh shit!” she yelled, bracing herself.

Before Daryl could even blink, the two fell backwards, tumbling down the slope of the quarry.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Alright, that was chapter 2! Hopefully you all liked it. Again, please let me know what you think. I'd love to hear from you. Also, I will soon be posting stories for X Men (Gambit), Vampire Diaries (Damon), Of Mice and Men (George), Robin Hood (Will Scarlett), and various others.


	3. Tumbles and Tribunals

**When Hunters Become the Hunted**

**Chapter 3**

**Tumbles and Tribunals**

     Upon hearing the screams, most everyone in the camp jumped to their feet, eyes alert and searching for walkers. Most had no clue what was going on, but Daryl did, soon getting pushed out of the way by Shane.

     “The hell’s goin’ on?” Shane asked.

     “Outta my way,” Daryl hissed, dropping his stuff to the ground and sliding down the hill, dust rising as he went.

     Unlike some in the camp, he actually knew what he was doing when he did this stuff, not wanting to waste any time.

     Within moments, he was upon the two, Shane and Lori following after him. Daryl was the first to lift the two of them up though, but was quickly pushed away by Shane, Lori riding up behind him.

     “Keep yer hands off of me,” Daryl narrowed, standing there as Lori began fussing over Celeste and Kenzie.

     “Oh God, are you okay sweetie?” Lori asked, gently pulling Celeste into a better sitting position.

     From where he stood, Daryl could see that the corner of her forehead was bleeding, a bit of blood dribbling down along the side of her face. He was actually surprised that she hadn’t broken anything from what he could tell, her chin resting on top of Kenzie’s head. Even the kid seemed okay. Although, if he had to take a guess, Celeste took most of the damage when they’d tumbled down. In fact, she’d held onto Kenzie the whole time, curling her body around her in an attempt to protect her from harm.

     “Y-yeah,” Celeste winced, blinking a few times.

     She’d definitely hit her head, leaving Daryl shaking his own as he folded his arms over his chest.

     “Now I know why I never tried having kids,” Celeste joked half heartedly, pressing a hand to her head.

     The joke seemed to fade away into the wind though as everyone set there, Daryl’s blue eyes watching the entire time.

     “Come here kid,” Shane said, grabbing hold of Kenzie.

     She began to squirm immediately, wriggling around in his arms and causing Daryl to smirk.

     “No! No!” she cried, kicking him, before he let her go.

     She went running over to Daryl without hesitation, hugging his leg as she buried her face in the material of his pant leg.

     “Brat,” Shane muttered, eyes narrowed as he looked over at Daryl.

     Daryl met his glare full throttle, eyes narrowing like daggers as he sneered. Daryl never had liked Shane to begin with. Now, this was just another reason for Daryl to detest the man.

     With that, Shane turned back to Celeste, grabbing her by the arms and hauling her to her feet. It sent her stumbling forward, grabbing for something to hold on to. Sadly, that something happened to be Shane, her fingers finding their way in gripping the front of his tussled shirt.

     “Just take it easy now,” Shane told her, placing his hands on her shoulders as he pulled her closer, enjoying the feeling of her body against his.

     Such things went unnoticed to Lori though, but not Daryl. No, he’d seen the look in the man’s eyes. If he could screw around with more than just one woman, he’d do it and Daryl knew that for a fact. It was already bad enough that Shane was screwing Lori, the poor woman’s husband just dying. Heck, the man hadn’t even the time to find a grave to roll into yet, no less finish breathing his last breaths.

     “Let’s get her back up there and seated somewhere,” Lori said, patting Shane on the shoulder in order to get his attention.

     She didn’t want to be away from her son any longer than necessary, already feeling uncomfortable with him out of her line of sight. Even though the kid was 13, she still didn’t feel he was old enough to be out and about on his own in a place like this, a place where the world was thriving with danger.

     “Yeah,” Shane nodded, lifting Celeste’s arm and placing it over his shoulders so that he could help her walk.

     Not seeing any reason to argue, Celeste allowed it, wincing at he pulled her along. She only had the time to look behind her though, making eye contact with Daryl, an apologetic look on her face.

     “Get goin’,” Daryl told her, watching as Shane and Lori began to guide her up the trail, her feet dragging against the ground as she stumbled a bit.

     “Mmm!”

     At the sudden noise, Daryl looked down, finding Kenzie staring up at him. She had her arms spread open, lifted upwards to be picked up.

     “I don’t think so kid,” he told her, shaking his head.

     “Mmm!” she tried again, jumping slightly as she flapped her arms a couple of times.

     “I said no,” he told her, crossing his arms over his chest.

     Again, Kenzie ignored his words, continuing to jump up and down. Her arms were still open, flailing around freely in frustration. All she wanted was to be picked up and held, her lip beginning to quiver as Daryl ignored her.

     “Please?” she pleaded, fingers managing to grab at one of his belt loops.

     She tugged a few times, pleading with him as he watched her, a look of suspicion in his eyes. After a few more tries though, Daryl gave up, quickly glancing around him. Merle was nowhere in sight though, so he figured that he was safe.

     “Fine,” he sighed, leaned down and picking her up.

     She immediately threw her arms around his neck with a squeal of delight, snuggling against him as he held her firmly in his arms, his right hand curled around her leg. If he was going to carry the kid, he wasn’t going to go and drop her just because he wasn’t holding her the right way. No, he made sure that his grip was firm, but not too tight to where it would hurt her. He just wanted to make sure that she wouldn’t slip from his grip and fall on the ground. After all, he didn’t want to piss Celeste off by letting her little girl get hurt. So far, he actually seemed to be on decent terms with her, despite trying to ignore her. Celeste didn’t seem to let that bother her though and in a way, he was silently grateful for that. He’d never actually had someone apologize to him before.

* * *

      “You shouldn’t even be up on your feet right now,” Lori said, looking over the back of Celeste’s head.

Lori was trying to make sure that the girl didn’t have any more spots, but still managed to find a few, touching them tentatively with her fingertips. It only caused Celeste to wince as she sat there in the lawn chair that Shane had placed her in, closing her eyes in pain.

To be honest, it’d been a while since she’d taken such a tumble. In fact, she’d been a kid the last time that it’d happened, remembering how one of her ‘foster’ siblings had pushed her down an incline. The poor girl had ended up breaking her arm in several places and ended up in a cast for god knows how long. For that, she’d been taken back into children services and placed in an alternative home, giving her the time that she needed to heal. She still had a few scars from it even where it had been cut up.

“Try to stay still,” Lori instructed, combing gently through the dark hair on Celeste’s scalp.  “Shane, could you get me a clean rag and some peroxide?” Lori asked.

“Yeah,” Shane sighed, before walking off, giving Lori the chance to speak properly.

“Are you sure that you’re okay, sweetie?” she asked, carefully moving Celeste’s bangs out of the way.

“Yeah, I’m fine,” Celeste nodded. “Lori, right?”

“Yep, that’s me,” she smiled. “Lori Grimes.”

“Celeste Emerson,” Celeste replied, introducing herself properly.

“And that adorable little girl of yours is Kenzie no doubt?” Lori asked, an affectionate look on her face.

“Yeah…but she’s not mine,” she confessed.

“Not yours?”

Lori’s brows furrowed for a moment in confusion. It was all too obvious that Lori had assumed Kenzie to be Celeste’s. In fact, most of the camp had probably assumed the same thing when the two of them had followed the Dixon’s into camp. Sadly though, Kenzie wasn’t Celeste’s, merely reminding her of what used to be.

“She’s actually my friend’s little girl,” she explained, fingers twitching as Lori pressed on a sensitive spot. “He…they didn’t make it,” she whispered, closing her eyes.

“I’m sorry,” Lori said softly, pausing for a moment in her searching. “It was a brave thing you did though.”

“Huh?”

Celeste opened her eyes, her brows furrowing together.

“Taking her in and keeping her safe,” she added, finishing her statement as she gave Celeste a small smile, her eyes turning toward the slope of the quarry.

They watched as Daryl walked up the rest of the way, Kenzie wrapped up in his arms. The little blond was smiling as she clung to Daryl, her arms wrapped tightly around his neck. Strangely, he seemed okay with it, at peace almost. He even had a faint smile pulling at his lips until he noticed a group of the campers staring at him, a glare quickly replacing the smile. It was obvious that he didn’t really care for them that much, but Celeste wasn’t really sure why. After all, he seemed okay enough with Kenzie, even tolerable with herself even. Although, that was stretching things. They’d only just met, so she didn’t really know the extent of his temperament or tolerance level even.

“What ya’ll lookin’ at? This ain’t some sideshow!” he ground out, glaring at the people around him.

“Quite the temper that one,” Lori said with a sigh, lifting her head once Shane came back with the peroxide, a light blue rag in his hand.

“What are you two talkin’ about now?” Shane asked, plopping down near Lori as he handed everything over.

“Just Dixon’s temper,” Lori replied dismissively, pouring some of the peroxide onto the rag, before pressing it to Celeste’s forehead.

“Boy’s got a temper alright,” Shane scoffed, narrowing his eyes slightly as he looked over at Daryl.

Kenzie was still clinging to him as he walked over to his tent, pushing the flap out of the way and grabbing something. When he stood back up, he had a little pink blanket in his hand, draping it over Kenzie’s head.

Celeste remained silent as he spoke, not wanting to get into it with him. She figured she’d ask him what his problem was later. Perhaps, even talk to Daryl a bit, ask him why he kept his tent so far away actually.

“Hey, Dixon!” Shane called, catching the younger man’s attention. “Why don’t ya put that kid down and do something useful!” he suggested.

In return, Daryl flipped him the bird, muttering something under his breath.

“What was that?” Shane challenged, walking over to him.

“Would the two of you stop it!” Lori yelled, hands on her hips as she turned to face the two of them.

“What do you want me to do?” Shane narrowed, turning his attention away from Daryl.

“Why don’t you go watch Carl instead of standing around like you ain’t got a clue?” Lori suggested, watching as he kicked at the ground.

“Fine!”

Celeste sat there the entire time, trying not to laugh as she watched Shane walk off somewhere.

“What in the world?” she breathed out.

“I’m sorry about him,” Lori sighed, sitting back down as she went back to fixing Celeste up. “He can be a bit of a hot head at times.”

“No kidding,” Celeste muttered, turning her eyes back toward Daryl.

He was still standing there, a look of irritation on his face as he watched Shane stomp off. Although, there was just a trace that told her that he was in some way satisfied that Lori had sent the man away. Daryl had gotten satisfaction in the way that Lori had set Shane storming into some other direction of the camp, kicking up clumps of dirt as he went.

In all honesty, it was like a child throwing a tantrum. He’d wanted to cause trouble and now he was sent off to time out. He was left to pout on his own as others enjoyed the air around them, the grungy ground of autumn mocking him as he stepped on it, attempting to stomp out the life of the grass.

“She never did like conflict…” Celeste mused, eyes trailing toward Kenzie.

The little girl had never liked conflict and nor had Celeste. Things change though. Things change with the world. They change with the season and they change with the ages. Most of all, the world changes when you least expect it.

* * *

     Before long, the day went, and so came the chilling night. The wind blew and scratched at the tents, jarring them and startling some people awake. Most stayed asleep though, some on better terms than others. Darly had been privy to everything around him. The sound of the wind as it beat on his tent, the whispers of the leaves as they chattered in the late night into the dawn of the morning.

He was laid back in his tent, resting peacefully on his cot as he stared up at the ceiling. He’d probably been awake for the last half hour, unable to fall back asleep. Normally, he didn’t get that much sleep anyway, so it didn’t really matter. Although, he still craved for that one time that he’d be able to sleep the night through and get a decent rest. Sadly, it was impossible though as he lay still, listening to the sounds around him.

In the next tent over, Celeste and Kenzie had been set up in a tent of their own, the small child sleeping seamlessly through the night. Every now and then though, he’d hear a rustle and then a groan, even a sob or two. In fact, it had woken him every time that he’d tried to nod off, quickly being jolted awake. Then, he heard the zipper of their tent as it opened and closed, a cough echoing as they went.

Again, there was another sob. It came out choked almost as though in an attempt to muffle it, but Daryl still heard it, turning his head toward the entrance of his tent. He knew that it could only be one person, one woman, one camper. He knew that it had to be Celeste that had made her way out of the tent in an attempt to keep from waking the young five year old that slept beside her.

“God, forgive me,” he heard her choke out.

Slowly, Daryl unzipped the flap of his tent. He could still hear her shaky cries as she tried to keep quiet, the light of the fire illuminating her shaky form. It was like a scared child in Daryl’s eyes as he slowly crept out of his tent, pulling his crossbow with him.

“Forgive me…” she whispered, hands clasped together as she kept her head down and her eyes closed.

As Daryl crept closer, he took in the shine of her hair as the light of the flames reflected off of it, casting shadows around the site. He could still see her shoulders shaking as she sat there by the fire, a wetness reflecting upon her face as it drizzled down the curve of her chin.

“Celeste,” Daryl called out, his voice slightly hesitant.

Upon hearing his voice, Celeste jumped, her head snapping toward Daryl. It was like a deer in the headlights and she was the unfortunate young doe, her eyes large and frightened. For a split second, Daryl found himself comparing it to the deer that he had hunted, their eyes wide and innocent.

“W-what do you want?” she stammered, rubbing harshly at her eyes in an attempt to rid them of their tears.

It did her little good though, merely making it worse as Daryl moved closer, coming to sit down beside her after a couple moments.

“W-what?” she snapped, scooting away about a foot as she tried to hide her face a bit.

“Came out cuz I heard ya cryin’,” he told her, eyes glancing over at her for a couple of seconds, before staring down at the fire before them. “All yer tossin’ and turnin’ kept me awake,” he said bluntly, catching her off guard.

“I-I’m sorry, I didn’t mean-”

Daryl held up a hand to stop her, silencing her. He wasn’t sure why he was sitting out here with the woman, but he was.

“I don’t sleep much anyway,” he told her, the flame of the fire reflecting in the blue of his eyes. “As for you, ya should be back in that tent sleepin’ ‘side yer girl,” Daryl said, hiking a thumb behind him toward their tent. “Ya need sleep.”

“I…can’t sleep,” she admitted, running a shaky hand through her hair.

“And why not?” he asked, raising an eyebrow in question.

“It’s nothing,” she lied. “Just restless I guess.”

Daryl narrowed his eyes for a moment, glaring at the ground at his feet.

“That’s a load of shit an’ we both know it,” he narrowed.

It was silent after that, save for the pop of the fire, and the chirping of crickets. Both sat still as they stared in front of them, Celeste’s hand shaking slightly. She was slightly shocked at Daryl’s outburst, but knew that it should have been expected.

“I’m sorry…” she whispered, wiping her eyes again.

She had to take a breath of air, before closing her eyes again in an attempt to compose herself, her body quivering as a gust of wind blew through. She wanted to forget the thoughts in her head, but she knew that it wasn’t going to happen any time soon.

“They just won’t leave me…” she whispered, gripping the hair at the front of her scalp.

Daryl remained silent, giving her time to speak. Now that she had started, he had no doubt in his mind that she would continue. Although, he could always find other ways to get it out of her if he really wanted to.

“These nightmares,” she murmured, hand trembling as she tried to calm herself. “They just…”

She was about to continue when a voice came over them, stopping any further confessions.

“What’s going on here?” came Shane’s voice, his form becoming clear as he stepped into the light of the fire. “Shouldn’t you be in bed?” he asked, his eyes landing on Celeste as she sat there.

“I was just getting some fresh air,” she told him.

“I see,” he replied slowly, eyes trailing toward Daryl with suspicion. “And you?”

“Gettin’ ready ta take my watch,” Daryl replied, keeping a level gaze with Shane.

“I suggest you get to it then,” Shane told him.

For a moment, Celeste glanced at Daryl, giving him a small nod. She’d talk to him more later.

“I’ll be fine,” she assured him, before putting her head back down.

She’d kind of wanted to talk a bit, but she knew that she wouldn’t be able to. After all, it’s not like she really had anything against Shane, but she felt more comfortable around Daryl.

Before she knew it, Daryl was gone, kicking the ground as he went. That left her with Shane, the man’s dark eyes staring at her intently.

“So, where do you come from?” he asked, sitting down across from her.

“No where in particular,” she told him, lightly curling her fingers into the side of her leg.

“You have to have come from somewhere,” he reminded her, crossing his arms over his chest as he stretched his legs out.

“Georgia,” she replied bluntly, turning her head away toward the direction that Daryl had gone.

“Oh, wow, that’s a great answer,” he said sarcastically.

“You asked!” she snapped, narrowing her eyes slightly.

“Just trying to get some answers,” he told her, watching as she stood from her spot.

“Yeah, well, stop tryin’ to interrogate me like I’m one of yer damned suspects,” she told him, showing off some of her true southern accent, before turning her back and walking away.

Shane was quick in his reproach though, taking hold of her arm before she could get too far from him.

“So, you really are a true southern girl,” he chuckled. “Although, I’d advise you to stay away from those methed up rednecks.”

“Excuse me?” she said, taken aback.

“You heard me,” he said, before continuing. “They’re nothing, but a couple of messed up druggies. Daryl’s no better than Merle.”

Celeste narrowed her eyes, jerking her arm away from the outdated cop.

“Listen and listen good,” she told him. “If I know one thing, then it’s that Daryl isn’t into drugs. Been around plen’y that have, but so far, Daryl’s been nothin’, but proper.”

“Proper?” Shane snorted, a chuckle rattling inside his chest. “There’s nothing proper about Dixon.”

“Then there ain’t nothin’ proper ‘bout me,” she hissed, before walking off toward the quarry. “Pig,” she grumbled under her breath, kicking a rock harshly out of her way.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Alright everyone! That's chapter 3! Please, let me know what you think? That way I can make this story better!

**Author's Note:**

> Hi everyone! I want to thank you for reading my story. I already have a lot of stuff posted on Fanfiction.net and decided I would try hear as suggested by a friend. I have the same user name on both sights, so if you see anything different, then it just means that I've updated the content is all. So, please, let me know what you think of my stuff? I'd really enjoy hearing your feedback on anything. Especially, any ideas that you may have!


End file.
